 reviewed by John Smythe 29 Nov 2007 |
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A blown opportunity? Delayed one night on account of the lead actress breaking bones in her foot, the first thing to say is that Hannah K Clarke’s ability to adapt her performance to – indeed, make the most of – an orthopaedic boot, a wheelchair and crutches, is to be roundly applauded. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 1 Dec 2007 |
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Ebullient satire: treat yourselves ... With 20 actors (no doubling!) bursting BATS at its tiny backstage seams and filling the bright psychedelic stage with delight, the show is gloriously profligate. And the Puck and forest fairies still have room to roller-skate! [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 4 Dec 2007 |
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A series of mostly whimsical ideas Godzone is a really obvious idea that gets away with itself because, as I recall, no-one has really trodden this track since Bogor went up in (aromatic) smoke and Footrot Flats was put out to pasture. Besides, this take on the classic Kiwi joker – not to mention the odd woman, sheep and starfish – is not entirely predictable. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 11 Jan 2008 |
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A succulent banquet of derring-do and intrigue The Bacchanals launch Wellington theatre 2008 in superb style with a swashbuckling, bodice-ripping yarn inspired by metaphysical poet, politician and preacher John Donne. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 16 Jan 2008 |
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Seductive satire Jack Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, David Lange and Margaret Pope … Why not Helen Clark and Richard Meros? The point is power: an aphrodisiac, to both the holder of it and the would-be holder of the holder. And PowerPoint is the prime means used to present this philosophical treatise-cum-thesis-cum-erotic fantasy, wherein ... [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 19 Jan 2008 |
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Fresh creativity in juicy play Intriguing in its form and content, Armslength proves that Branwen Millar’s extraordinary debut play Noisy Shadows (Theatre Militia at BATS, late March 2006) was no flash in the pan. Whereas Noisy Shadows pits flatmates against an insistent outside world of media news, Armslength isolates its characters in psychological silos that others find hard to breach. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 20 Jan 2008 |
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A must-see for those who relish creative ingenuity Paua is what you might call vertically integrated theatre: a physical spectacle that plays out, almost in-the-round, from the depths of a black hole squarely placed in the stage floor, and the heights of the equally black grid above, to delight those seated on the terrestrial plane. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 21 Jan 2008 |
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Volatile chemistry produces excellent ensemble work Named for a pet appellation that’s used just once in the dying moment, English playwright Nina Raine’s Rabbit marks a young woman’s rite of passage from the residual mindsets of childhood and adolescence to the next level of adulthood. But it’s done in the context of a 29th birthday celebration in a bar-cum-restaurant, where sex, body parts and debate about gender values are the main topic of conversation. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 24 Jan 2008 |
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What’s in it for us? The funny thing about humour is that the harder you try to be funny, the less funny you are. And “try hard” was the phrase that most readily rippled through BATS in the wake of Presenting The Tinkle’s premiere. [more] |
 reviewed by John Smythe 30 Jan 2008 |
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Objective awareness fails to engage Having seen the third performance of this show, as an adjunct to Thomas’s review (and Laurie’s, Helen’s & Lynn’s), I offer a theory: that Ground was initially written as a radio play. As such, the constant and often repetitive dialogue is designed to feed the listeners’ imaginations and keep reminding them were the characters are and what’s happening. [more] |
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